His Substitute Mail-Order Bride

The prospective bride had initially written to Russ after an argument with her current beau. Moving halfway across the country to escape her woes had seemed the perfect solution. As time passed, Susannah had come to regret her impetuous decision. Cowboy Creek was too isolated, and the conditions too remote from her society friends. Then her beau had come calling with flowers and profuse apologies.

All of Susannah’s reasons for abandoning a move to Cowboy Creek had struck a chord with Anna. The town was halfway across the country from Philadelphia and the incessant gossip thwarting any chance of living a quiet, peaceful life.

She’d known the moment she appeared that Russ would be disappointed at best, angry at worst. Brides were not cogs in a wheel to be interchanged at will, and she had no desire to marry again. But at least she’d be a thousand miles from the scandal.

Desperate times required desperate measures.

The mayor doffed his hat and dusted the brim against his trousers. “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Will Canfield, ma’am. I hope you won’t let this experience sour your first impression of Cowboy Creek.” He gave a shallow bow, then he turned to his friend. “You don’t have to stay, Russ. Have the doc take a look at both of you. I’ll make certain every one of those seeds is collected and have them delivered to The Cattleman. Your hotel room has already been arranged. Mrs. Linford.”

“But I can’t—”

Will held up one hand. “I insist.”

The ground rumbled, and Will replaced his hat. “That will be the cavalry, so to speak. You two take the wagon back to town. I’ll see to Mr. Ward. Rest as long as you need, Mrs. Linford. When you’re fully recovered, you and Russ will join my wife and me for dinner.”

As though accustomed to having his orders followed without question, Will didn’t wait for her answer. He strode toward the new arrivals.

Anna shivered despite the warm afternoon. “He’s very sure of himself.”

She wasn’t quite certain if she liked him or not. She’d had her fill of men who insisted on giving orders rather than issuing requests.

“Yes.” Russ appeared resigned to the mayor’s high-handed behavior. “He has to be, given his job.”

“I can’t possibly accept his generosity.”

“You heard the man. He insisted. There’s no harm in accepting.”

“But the room was arranged for Susannah.”

“He knows about Miss Lowe. He’s also aware that you and I knew each other in Philadelphia.”

“Surely our previous relationship is too tenuous for such a generous offer?” Anna lifted her chin. She’d stretched her morality to the breaking point by asking for Russ’s help given their flimsy connection, and she refused to impose on his friends. “I simply cannot accept his hospitality.”

“This solution is best.” Russ motioned toward the wagon. “If you stay at the boardinghouse, people will assume you’re a prospective bride, and you’ll be under even more scrutiny. That’s why we arranged for Susannah to stay at the hotel. Don’t be surprised if you’re still inundated with offers, though.”

“But...but...I’m a widow.” A childless widow.

“Single women are a much-sought-after commodity in Cowboy Creek.”

“I won’t marry again.” Anna set her jaw. She’d been married once, and that experience had been enough. “I’m not ever getting married again. Never.”

Why must everything be so complicated? She didn’t want to be noticed or courted. She wanted to live a quiet life in solitude. She didn’t need much. A patch of land for gardening and enough money to see her through the winter.

She hadn’t considered all the ramifications of a single woman in a town full of unattached men.

“You never know,” Russ said. “You might change your mind.”

Her stomach twisted. She’d gone from the frying pan straight into the fire. Coming to Cowboy Creek had been an awful mistake, and now she was trapped by her impulsive decision.

“I won’t change my mind.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they were on the road. As Russ carefully formulated his next question, Anna sat stiff and silent beside him. Mindful of her earlier bout of sickness, Russ kept the pace of the wagon unhurried. He sneaked a glance at his taciturn traveling companion. She didn’t appear comfortable being alone with him, and he wasn’t certain how to put her at ease.

He’d never considered himself an excessively curious man. As a lawyer, he dealt in facts. Extraneous details only muddied the waters. Yet even he had to admit that why a person wound up in a particular place was at least as noteworthy as how.

Anna, a recent widow judging by the faint shadow around her ring finger, had boarded the train in Susannah’s place. The facts were simple. The motivation was not.

She’d traveled halfway across the country. Alone. But why? She’d hitched a ride with a poultry farmer rather than stay an extra day and catch the next train. If she was destitute and isolated, why not ask her sister for assistance?

“Are you all right?” he asked. “Do we need to stop?”

“I’m fine.” She flashed a weary smile. “That’s the fourth time you’ve asked me that question in so many minutes. Do I look as bad as all that?”

“You look lovely.”

She snorted softly. “You needn’t charm me. The mayor isn’t here.”

“What does the mayor have to do with anything?”

“Nothing.” She ducked her head. “I’m out of sorts.”

“You have every right, considering what you’ve been through.”

She blinked him at him with eyes that reminded him of a lost foundling, and his heart did an unexpected zigzag in his chest. She was being incredibly brave, but she was nearing the end of her endurance. The sooner they returned to town, the better. He had plenty of questions, but they’d all have to wait.

“There was an influenza epidemic in Philadelphia,” she said softly. “Hundreds of people died. Don’t worry. The doctor assured me that I was no longer contagious.”

“Is that what happened to your husband?”

“No. Um. His death was sudden. Unexpected.”

“I’m sorry. This must be a very difficult time for you.”

She muttered something noncommittal, further stirring his curiosity. She didn’t appear interested in discussing her late husband. He respected her mourning. Her reticence must mean she loved her husband very much. Not that he had personal experience with the sentiment. For Russ, love was an elusive emotion.

Four years before, he’d been engaged to Anna’s older sister, Charlotte. The war between the states had left the country in tatters, and he was finishing up his law degree. The time was ripe to settle down and plan for a future. Charlotte was the daughter of a business associate in Philadelphia, and the match had been celebrated by both families. He’d thought he’d loved her. He’d certainly been infatuated.

His chest constricted. He hadn’t known that his fiancée was in love with another man until she’d broken off the engagement. She’d begged him to accept the blame, and Russ had gone along with the ruse. Her father, Mr. Darby, had a reputation as a harsh man, and Russ had been swayed by Charlotte’s pleading.

He kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “How is your sister? Well, I hope.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from her in years. Not since she, um, not since she married.”

Not since she’d thrown him over and eloped. “Surely you write letters.”

“No.”

Russ raised an eyebrow. The clipped answer effectively slammed the door on any further questions. He searched his memory but couldn’t recall any animosity between the sisters. Then again, he’d been distracted. Though he’d worked as a lawyer in the army, his title had been more honorary than official. He’d had to apply for his law license upon his discharge. He’d been finishing up the studies he’d abandoned upon his conscription while working long hours as an apprentice at a law firm.

He didn’t remember the Darby family with any warmth. The episode with Charlotte had been publicly humiliating. Her father’s tirade had been blistering. Though Russ had taken the blame for breaking off the engagement, Charlotte’s speedy elopement had spoken volumes. Only the most gullible of the gossips had been fooled. His fiancée had been in love with someone else the whole time he’d been courting her. Russ was only human, after all, and the betrayal had smarted.

Anna had been one of the few pleasant memories he recalled from that time. She’d had a ready smile and a sharp humor, even at her young age. While Charlotte had been demure and shy, Anna was an energetic hoyden with a taste for adventure.

She’d also been given to pranks. “Do you recall the time you climbed the oak tree in the backyard and dropped acorns on us?”

“Yes.” A ghost of a smile danced around the edges of her mouth. “Charlotte was livid. It wasn’t the first time I’d ruined a romantic moment between her and one of her suitors.” Two dots of color appeared on Anna’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s all right.” Russ shrugged. “Everything worked out for the best. Both Charlotte and I arrived where we needed to be. We just took the long way around.”

He hadn’t known Charlotte any more than he’d known Susannah. Given his current circumstances, Charlotte’s elopement had been a blessing in disguise. If he’d stayed in Philadelphia, he’d still be toiling in the basement of a crowded law firm as an underling. Out west, he’d thrived in his practice. As the years passed, he recognized that his pride had pained him more than his heart, but back then, he’d been too young to tell the difference.

Anna met his sidelong gaze. “Then you’re content living in Cowboy Creek?”

“I am.” Russ cleared his throat. “What are your plans? You’ve come all this way, after all.”

She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “If you want to read Susannah’s letter, I can drive the mule.”

The change of subject piqued his curiosity. Each time he asked a personal question, she turned the tables on him.

“Reading the letter won’t change anything,” Russ said. “Your explanation seemed clear enough.”

Two months before, Will had convinced him to send for a mail-order bride. The mayor had decided to run for the Senate and had convinced Russ to campaign for the local office in his place. Voters preferred the stability of a married man over a bachelor, and Russ was ready to settle down and start a family. After corresponding with Susannah Lowe, he’d finally sent for her. Their letters had been cordial. They’d both agreed to a marriage of mutual convenience. Russ had needed a wife to legitimize his political career, and Susannah had been looking for a husband.

For the second time, his fiancée had left him for another man. At least with Susannah, they’d never actually met in person. Charlotte’s betrayal had been more difficult to bear. Especially since he suspected that Charlotte had only been encouraging him to make another man jealous. A colleague had hinted at the rumors, but Russ had ignored the warning. His frustration at Charlotte’s behavior had been directed as much at Charlotte as at himself. He’d seen what he wanted to see. A fault that ran in his family.

Nine years before, a drought had struck his hometown of Big Bend, Missouri, and the ranchers had fallen upon hard times. A ruthless entrepreneur, Zane Ogden, had appeared with a charming smile and a friendly offer of assistance. With a seemingly endless supply of money, he made loans to various ranchers. The initial deals had seemed too good to be true. They were. The fine print required ruinous interest payments and stiff penalties, including the loss of the ranches put up as collateral.

Russ’s father, Gilbert, had been the unofficial leader of the local ranching community, and he’d warned people to stay away from Ogden. When several friends became entangled in Ogden’s web, his father had agreed to speak with the man and see if anything could be done. Those were the facts that Russ knew for certain. The subsequent events were filled with conjecture and guesswork, a mystery that had torn a rift between his two brothers, Seth and Adam.

As far as anyone knew, their father had gone to Ogden’s home late one evening and had never returned. To everyone’s shock, despite his advice to others, their father had taken out a loan. When he couldn’t repay the balance, he’d fled from his debts and his responsibilities. Russ had initially been skeptical, but Zane had produced paperwork containing a signature from their father, with the sheriff as the witness, showing that he’d taken out a substantial loan. Russ figured his father must have lied to his friends about borrowing the money because he was ashamed. Unable to pay back the loan, he’d abandoned his family.

Initially, Russ had struggled with the truth. The man he knew as his father was forthright and honorable. He’d never abandon his family. Over the years, Russ’s opinion had shifted. There were people in this world who could sell sand in the desert. There were people who could steal the pension from a widowed grandmother without blinking. There were people who made their living off the misfortunes of others. His father, like so many others before and after, had merely fallen prey to a charming swindler.

By working around the clock to squeeze out every cent of profit, his older brother, Seth, was able to pay off the loan in full, saving the family ranch from foreclosure.

Seth was convinced their father had never signed the paperwork and was killed, though the body had never been found. Russ believed their father had signed the paperwork and abandoned the family. The difference of opinion had driven a wedge between the brothers.

His father’s shame had compelled Russ in his law career to assist those being swindled or left out in the cold due to flaws in bureaucracy. He’d made a name for himself fighting for veterans’ rights after the Civil War, which put him in correspondence with various former soldiers, including the leaders of Cowboy Creek.

Eventually, Will Canfield invited him to come out and open a law practice in their booming town. Russ had accepted, and when he saw the endless opportunities in the area, he’d encouraged his mother and Seth to sell the ranch and buy land in Kansas. Though Russ had his own house and business in town, at least they’d all be closer. Last autumn, they’d taken him up on the offer.

He’d put the incident with Charlotte in the past, or so he’d thought. Apparently, the past had just caught up to him. Anna’s unexpected arrival along with Susannah’s defection had stirred up all the old feelings. He was as much embarrassed for the man he’d been as for what had happened. There was too much of his father in him. He’d run from Charlotte’s betrayal rather than face the humiliation.

There’d be no running this time.

“Did Susannah confide in you?” he asked.

Susannah’s letters tended to be unfocused and rambling. He might as well get to the heart of the matter rather than wade through a sea of frivolous words.

“Just what you already know,” Anna said. “Susannah wanted me to send her sincerest apologies. She didn’t mean to fall in love with someone else. It just, well, it just happened.”

“Just happened, huh?” Russ didn’t bother to disguise the bitterness in his voice. “I’ve heard that before.”

How could he fault his father for running from his mistakes when there were times when Russ wanted nothing more than to do the same himself? Cowboy Creek was a fresh start, but now he felt like the boy he’d been all those years ago, his pride wounded.

No matter his own feelings, Susannah’s change of mind didn’t explain Anna’s unexpected appearance. While Susannah’s letter might shed light on the matter, Russ wanted to hear what Anna had to say first.

This time, he wasn’t falling for a change of subject. “How do you know Susannah?”

“She’s a friend.” Anna twisted her hands in the material of her skirt. “More of an acquaintance, really.”

“And you hand-delivered a letter, traveling hundreds of miles across patches of hostile territory, from an acquaintance?”

“The social groups in Philadelphia overlap. Surely you remember how things were? When Susannah fell in love, she came to me for advice. Since you were once engaged to Charlotte, she thought I might be of help.”

“I see.”

He didn’t understand anything. Why compound the betrayal by introducing someone from his past?

“I borrowed Susannah’s ticket,” Anna said. “I hope you’ll excuse the imposition, but I’m unable to reimburse you for the fare right away. I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

“A train ticket is the least of my worries.”

He wasn’t a struggling law clerk pinching every penny anymore. While his heart wasn’t involved, there were practical decisions to consider. How was he going to explain to his mother and brother that he’d been jilted yet again? Seth might have laughed at him before, but now that he had a family of his own, he was eager for his brother to follow suit. Adam, if he were here, would probably call him foolish for sending for someone he’d never met in the first place.

There was also his political career to consider. Married men were considered more attractive candidates to hold public office. He’d set his plan in motion to run for mayor, and single men didn’t win political races.

Anna glanced at him from beneath her eyelashes. “Susannah mentioned that you were quite successful in Cowboy Creek.”

A prickly sensation raised the hairs on the back of his neck. “Business is going well.”

“Considering our past connection, I was hoping to ask a small favor of you?”

His heart beat a strange, uneven rhythm. “Other than using my fiancée’s train ticket?”

Anna’s already pale complexion turned ashen. “It was nothing.”

“I’m sorry, Anna.” Russ scrubbed a hand down his face. All the tattered feelings had come rushing back. He’d been looking forward to starting a new life and raising a family and hadn’t yet adjusted to the disappointment. Having the sister of his former fiancée staring at him like a lost waif wasn’t helping matters. “For Charlotte’s sake, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

“You have every right to be angry with me.”

“I’m not angry, Anna. I’m frustrated. Have you ever been traveling along a path, only to find that nothing is turning out the way you expected?”

“I’ve had that sensation. Yes.”

A jolt spiked through him. That’s all he felt. Frustration. Not sadness or disappointment. Not heartbreak. If anything, he was annoyed. He and Susannah had struck a deal, and now she was changing the deal. He’d approached their relationship as though he was approaching a contract negotiation. They both wanted something the other had: Susannah had craved the security a husband could provide, and he’d wanted a family and children. While emotions were best left out of contract negotiations, they seeped into personal matters.

“I’m sorry,” he said. The weary note in Anna’s voice sent a pang of regret through him. “I shouldn’t have asked. You’re not in the middle of this any more than you were in the middle of what happened between Charlotte and me.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

He’d been so young and naive with Charlotte. Anna had been even younger. They were a thousand days and a thousand miles from who’d they’d been all those years ago. He’d approached his relationship with Charlotte as an eager schoolboy, and he’d kept a level head with Susannah. Neither approach had saved him from disappointment.

Rehashing the past wasn’t doing either of them any good. “You said you needed a favor. How can I help?”

There was an exhausted slope to Anna’s shoulders that reminded him of the battle-hardened soldiers he’d met during the war. Her eyes spoke of a soul-deep sorrow, and his heart softened.

“I need a job.” She rushed ahead. “I’m a hard worker. I can cook and clean. I even assisted my late husband in his law office. I heard there’s a new hotel in town. Perhaps they need a maid? You must know people.”

He barely managed to hide his shock at her request. What catastrophe had forced her on this path? Her family had been quite well off. Had she fallen on hard times before or after her marriage? Why did that even matter? She was here now. Here and in need. Plenty of men had gained and lost fortunes while the country rebuilt. Following the war, more than one man had made imprudent investments.

“You’re exhausted,” he said. She was in no shape to clean hotel rooms. “We’ll settle everything after you’ve had a chance to rest.”

“Never mind. I shouldn’t have imposed.”

Russ flipped back the edge of his coat and planted one hand on his hip. The throbbing in his head intensified. He wasn’t putting her off. He was truly concerned about her current state. Why did she insist on reading the worst into his innocent words?

The deep creases around Anna’s eyes spoke of too little sleep and too much worry. She was fatigued beyond a lengthy train journey.

Russ looked at her for the first time. Really looked at her. A thousand tiny clues added together. Anna was widowed. She was riding the train on a borrowed ticket. She was too thin. She was desperate for a job but hadn’t gone to her sister for help.

Something had gone terribly wrong in her young life.

She was evading the real question, and though it pained him to push her, he craved answers. “I could better help you if you told me the truth.”

Chapter Three

Why did Russ have to be so perceptive?

Pursing her lips, Anna pointed at the distant horizon. “Is that Cowboy Creek?”

“Yes.”

“It’s larger than I expected.”

“The train route helps. We have a thriving depot.”

“That’s nice.”

“I promise I only have your best interests in mind,” Russ said. “If you reconsider, and you’d like a friend, I’m here for you.”

She was desperately trying to evade his questions. Most men enjoyed talking about themselves. Why must he keep turning the conversation back to her?

“You know the truth.” She twisted a bonnet ribbon around her finger. “I’m a widow. I borrowed Susannah’s ticket. I need work. You know everything there is to know about me.”

Her pulse thrummed in her ears. Though she longed to confide in someone, she caught the words before they escaped. If he knew what they were saying about her in Philadelphia, he’d never agree to help. At best, he’d treat her with pity, at worst, derision. This was her one chance to start over. She didn’t have any other choice but to remain silent.

“Anna,” he began, “I don’t feel I know you at all. Not anymore.”

“All I need is a job reference,” she said. “Finding work benefits both of us. I’ll be able to repay the cost of the ticket sooner. Unless you’re uncomfortable. We haven’t seen each other in years, after all.”

“I’m happy to give you a reference. I’ll do whatever I can. You have to know that you can count on me for help.”

Anna narrowed her gaze. What if she was making a terrible mistake? Trusting the wrong man had led her down the path of destruction once before. What if he wanted something in repayment for helping her? She didn’t have much to give. Perhaps he was being charitable, or perhaps not. These past few years had her questioning everyone’s motives. Though he must know she had nothing to offer, she’d best be on her guard.

“Thank you,” she said. “I didn’t mean to sound surly.”

She’d take him at his word that he’d help her find a job. Nothing more. Cowboy Creek was her best chance at living free of the scandal, and she most certainly wasn’t confiding in anyone about her recent troubles. Especially Russ. With his past connections in Philadelphia, he could rip open the story before she had a chance to escape again.

“I understand pride, Anna.” He glanced at her askance. “Just remember that pride often comes before a fall.”

“Pride is not the problem.”

She had more important things to consider. Things like surviving to the next week, the next month, the next year. Pride was the least of her worries. The news in Philadelphia had shredded whatever vanity she might have possessed.